ˈspīrəfə(r) noun
Etymology: New Latin, from spir- + -fer
1. capitalized : a large genus (the type of the family Spiriferidae) of articulate brachiopods that have the arms supported within the shell by long spirally coiled spiralia which form a pair of cones with their apexes directed more or less laterally toward the ends of the long hinge line and that abound in Silurian, Devonian, and Carboniferous formations
2. or spi·rif·er·id spīˈrifərə̇d -s
[ spiriferid from New Latin Spiriferidae family of brachiopods, from Spirifer, type genus + -idae ]
: any brachiopod of Spirifer or a related genus — called also spire-bearer